OH! HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN FROM "BACK IN THE DAY?"

Circa 2006, 2007, & 2008, former Stark County state representative Johnnie A. Maier, Jr was "at the top" of his political game.

During his stint as Stark Dems chairman (2003 through 2009), the Dems managed to capture every Stark County-wide (non-judicial) elected office.

He must have had a premonition that "all Hell was going to break loose" as he resigned as party chairman and left his successor and prime member of his personal political loyalty group; namely, Randy Gonzalez, to "pick up the pieces" as what local civic activist Craig T. Conley termed as being Zeiglergate broke loose on April 1, 2009.

Since then:

• Zeigler resigned/retired in an agreement with Stark County commissioners on October 19, 2011, 
• In 2012 Republican Richard Regula (in a major political surprise defeated by Democrat Todd Bosley in 2006) reclaimed his commissionership in replacing Democrat Pete Ferguson (elected in 2008 but who decided not to seek reelection)
• In 2010, Republican Janet Creighton easily defeated Maier/Gonzalez political confidant Steven Meeks (appointed by the Dems in 2007 to replace Tom Harmon [resigned in 2009]),
• In 2010, Bosley
• who along with Harmon [appointed by the Dems to replace Strickland administration appointee [lottery commission] and therefore former commissioner Gayle Jackson [2007],
• voted in December, 2008 to "impose" a 1/2 cent sales tax on Stark Coutians,
• and, therefore, apparently concluding that he could not win reelection as commissioner instead ran for state representative, the 50th District, a suffered a massive political defeat
• In 2010, Democrat Stark County auditor who was apparently thought by Stark County voters to be too politically close to Zeigler and did not do enough to raise alarms that "all may not be well" in the Stark County treasury headed by Zeigler, lost in convincing fashion to Republican Alan Harold,

So there you have "a thumbnail sketch" of how the Stark County political empire that Johnnie A. Maier, Jr had worked so hard to create had come crashing down.

Maier got his start back in 1988 when he had the good fortune "be in the right place, at the right time."  Stalwart Republican icon "Red" Ash (the, at the time, 49th House District, which became the 56th and then the 50th) had run into legal troubles and Maier was there "to pick up the pieces."

Over his years of chairman and a Massillon clerk of courts, Maier worked equally hard - if not more so - to develop a cult-like following of his personal political aspirations, to wit:

He had come home (Massillon area) from "the high reaches" of Columbus where he fraternized with the all-powerful Vern Riffe, Jr. (Speaker of the House 1975 - 1995) and learned "the art of cultivating and mastering" political power.

Many think Riffe used political power for the public good whereas there are those who think that student Johnnie, Jr applies it to his personal interests.

One of the devices of governance that the Republicans used in 1992 to wrest power from te Democrats was to support voter passage of term limits in Ohio.

Under the term limits legislation, representatives were limited to eight (8) consecutive years in office.

Accordingly, Maier, Jr had to find a more secure and nesting place and in a show of what was to come from this disciple of Vern Riffe, he put a political power move on fellow Democrat Edward L. Radel, Jr and ousted him as clerk of Massillon Municipal Court earlier in 1999.

Maier went on to defeat Republican Richard Reichel by an overwhelming majority in 1999 general election.

All of the foregoing is to demonstrate that Maier is now "on life support" to salvage what remains of his Stark County based political empire.

And that, folks, is his "all-out, all consuming" effort to get his brother George (who he likely got Ted Strickland to appoint as assistant director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety) elected as Stark County sheriff.

A victim of the Maier obsession with getting his brother elected may be "top-gun" prosecutor Chryssa Hartnett.

Chryssa works for Stark County prosecutor John Ferrero (who along with former sheriff Tim Swanson have worked against George becoming sheriff, appointed and/or elected).

The SCPR believes that the Maiers are soaking up nearly all the financial resources that Stark Dems can raise and that Hartnett may not be able to garner enough campaign funds to get her message out to the Stark County voting public that she is - so the SCPR thinks - is vastly more qualified to be judge of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas that Republican Curtis Werren.

Before being appointed by Republican governor John Kasich to a court vacancy,  Werren was president of the Stark County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Republican Larry Dordea who ran a, more or less, "gentlemens' campaign" when he ran in 2008 against incumbent sheriff Tim Swanson (who is now on the outs with the Maiers), is now in, what he says (as interpreted by the SCPR) is - to be kind to the Maiers, not that they deserve it - a "political hardball" fight in its harshest form with George (Link to blog detailing Dordea's accusations, implied and otherwise).

But Dordea needs to understand, this may be Johnnie's "Custer's Last Stand."  That is to say, electing George sheriff.

For next year, it might be that his political creation Kathy Catazaro-Perry, mayor of Massillon, whose election in 2011 Maier engineered over long time Maier political foe and two decades plus mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli, Jr, will be defeated for a second term if she chooses to run.

Even with Catazaro-Perry's election in 2011, Maier showed he was slipping in that, while he was focusing on Catazaro-Perry's mayoralty quest, the Democrats lost control of Massillon City Council.

For those who do not know, Massillon is staunchly Democratic.

Not to be forgotten is Maier's "all-out" sponsorship of Celeste DeHoff for state representative in his, more or less, old District.

He prevailed on then Governor Ted Strickland (who, recognized Johnnie to be the first county chairman to endorse him in the Democratic primary), former U.S. Senator John Glenn, Senator Sherrod Brown, and then-Ohio treasurer Richard Cordray to come to Canal Fulton to campaign for DeHoff.

Since then, DeHoff has fallen on hard times.

But she was and out-and-out Maier loyalist.  And that appears to be all that matters to Johnnie and George.

In 2012, perhaps, Johnnie's closest political ally; namely, Judge Edward Elum of the Massillon Municipal Court was disciplined by the Ohio Supreme Court.

In a rare display of Johnnie A. Maier, Jr loyalty to anyone other than himself, so the SCPR thinks, he did submit a letter in support of Elum's quest to avoid discipline by the high court.

The SCPR thinks Dordea may have seen nothing yet compared to "what is yet to come."

When the political end comes for Johnnie A. Maier, Jr., he will go down - not in a whimper - but in a thunderous crash.

There will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth with Maier, Jr and his cult of followers.

But Maier's political demise might not be yet.

It all depends on the November 4, 2014 outcome between brother George and Dordea.

That's "how high the stakes are" in this election!

RICHARD REGULA AGAIN? AN EXERCISE IN POLITICAL FUTILITY?

Former Republican Stark County Commissioner Richard Regula (2003 - 2006) is itching to get back to holding elective office.

If he is to succeed, he has a huge hill to climb.  He has taken out petitions to run against incumbent commissioner and Democrat Tom Bernabei or incumbent commissioner and Democrat Pete Ferguson.

Back in February he tried to succeed the then 50th Ohio House District Republican state Representative Todd Snitchler (selected by Governor Kasich to be Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chairman) only to lose out to political neophyte Christina Hagan.

He lost in November, 2006 to then political upstart Nimishillen Townshp Trustee Todd Bosley in his bid to be re-elected county commissioner having first won the post in 2002 in defeating Richard Mallonn (currenty Canton city auditor).

In sort of a take off of the games the Republican candidates for county commissioner were playing in the 2010 elections in which Jackson Township Trustee James Walters, now Stark County Commissioner Janet Creighton and Lake resident Dean Windham were jockeying back and forth as to who was going to run against whom (Democrats Steven Meeks and Tom Bernabei), Regula has taken out two petitions as to weigh where he has the best possibility of once again becoming a Stark County commissioners.

As the filing deadline is not until December 7th, Regula likely is first looking at whether or not another Republican will file to run for one of the commissioner seats because he may not be able to survive a Republican primary.  Especially so, if Walters decides to try again.  There is little doubt to yours truly that Walters would easily defeat Regula.

By the SCPR's calculation, Walters would have won in 2008 in his run against Bernabei had it not been for a independent candidate running in the race who The Report figures drained off votes from Walters enough so to cause his defeat.

In addition for having a reputation for being a lazy campaigner, Regula also in Republican Party circles has a reputation for being the Democrats favorite Republican.   He is not a infrequent face to show up at Democratic candidate fundraisers.  Recently, he showed up at Massillon Mayor-elect Kathy Catazaro-Perry's during her election run up against Republican Lee Brunckhart.

The Report is told that Regula was being touted by former Stark County Chairman Johnnie A. Maier, Jr as being his candidate for commissioner come 2012.  One has to believe that Maier's seeming endorsement was all in jest, but maybe not.

The SCPR's assessment is that Regula (if he has no primary opposition or survives a primary election) can pick his "political" poison as that is exactly what he will be doing no matter which direction he goes.  As The Report sees Regula, he cannot defeat either Bernabei or Ferguson.

The degree of success that Richard Regula has had (the 2002 election) can be attributed to running on his congressman father's name (long time Congressman Ralph Regula who retired in 2008), but he proved in he could muff that advantage witness his unexpected loss to Bosley.

To add insult to injury, he loses out to Christina Hagan.

Normally, he could expect help from other Republican officeholders, but The Report believes what support he would get will definitely be of the low profile nature.  Alan Harold (Republican Stark County auditor), Alex Zumbar (Republican Stark County treasurer) and, of course, Republican Commissioner Janet Creighton would not want to offend Bernabei and Ferguson by being rabidly for the Republican: Regula or anyone else.

It is looking to the SCPR that, barring something unforeseen, Bernabei and Ferguson (though Democrats in a time when Democrats are not favored countywide) will be in good shape to retain their seats.

Such has to be comforting to Stark County Democratic Party Chairman Randy Gonzalez inasmuch The Report believes the Democrats will have a very difficult time holding on to the prosecutor's office (if the Republicans will man up with a viable candidate) and the sheriff's office.

As for Richard Regula, the 2012 elections will likely be the end of the line for the Regula name in countywide Stark County politics.

(VIDEOS OF BERNABEI & FERGUSON; ALSO ZUMBAR REACTION) DEMOCRAT CANTON COUNCILWOMAN CIRELLI, DEMOCRAT COMMISSIONERS BERNABEI & FERGUSON SUPPORT STARK DEM CENTRAL COMMITTEE SELECTING REPUBLCAN ALEX ZUMBAR TO FILL OUT ZEIGLER TERM AS STARK TREASURER. "ERA OF GOOD FEELING" COMES TO STARK POLITICS?

UPDATED AT 9:15 AM

It has only happened once in American history.

What's that?

A political "era of good feeling," that's what!

The Era of Good Feelings was a period in United States  political history in which partisan bitterness abated. It lasted approximately from 1816 to 1824, during the administration of U.S. President James Monroe, who deliberately downplayed partisanship. (Wikipedia)

But it may be that Stark County politicos are about to bury the political hatchet with the result that the Stark County Democratic Party Central Committee (SCDP - SCDPCC) may select Republican interim Stark County Treasurer Alex Zumbar as the replacement for recently retired/resigned Stark Treasurer Gary D. Zeigler.

By Ohio law, Stark Democrats have the obligation to appoint someone and the right to appoint "one of their own" to replace Zeigler.  And it makes political sense that they will do exactly that.  For any chance that the Dems might have at retaining the office at next November's election will ride on appointing a well known (countywide) Democrat.

Such a person would have a year to "serve with distinction" and thereby create a public perception that he/she has a record of service deserving of election somewhat on a par with Zumbar.

Being in the political position (chair of the SCDP) he is in, Randy Gonzalez to the Dem party faithful is to do as outlined in the two paragraphs above.

However, he is under substantial pressure to usher in a Stark County political "era of good feeling."

Yesterday, Canton Councilwoman Mary Cirelli issued this press release:  (immediately below the Cirelli press release is a response email from Stark Co Dem Chair Randy Gonzalez)

Additionally, at the conclusion of yesterday's county commissioners meeting the SCPR recorded the thoughts of both Commissioner Bernabei and Ferguson on the matter of the SCDP-CC appointing Zumbar, to wit:



The SCPR went across the hall from the commissioners office to get Treasurer Zumbar's reaction, here is the video of his response:




Monday, October 31st will tell the tale of whether or not Stark County's organized Democrats have the political maturity to do what appears to be the best thing for the citizens of Stark County - appoint Republican Alex Zumbar to fill out the unexpired portion of former Treasurer Gary Zeigler's term.

"Era of good feeling" or not, THAT IS THE QUESTION!

(VIDEOS) WHAT WAS THE CORRECT PROCEDURE FOR STARK COUNTY TO HAVE REMOVED ZEIGLER FROM OFFICE? HOW ABOUT ORC SECTIONS 3.08 & 3.07?

Stark Countians clearly remember that on April 1, 2009 it was revealed that Treasurer Zeigler discovered that his Chief Deputy Vince Frustaci had stolen $2.46 million (federal judge John Adams has said he believes that Frustaci actually took $2.96 million) from the county treasury.  Of course, Zeigler fired Frustaci immediately.  And Frustaci pled guilty and is serving 10 years in federal prison.

While Zeigler himself was exonerated by county and federal prosecutors of an criminal culpability, the State of Ohio Auditor's office found that Zeigler was deficient on a number of bases in having procedures in place to prevent an employee from making off with county money.

Stark County commissioners moved to remove Zeigler from office on the authority of Ohio Revised Code Sections (ORC) 321.07 and 321.08 which gave commissioners "permission" to remove on the fact that money came up missing while Zeigler was treasurer.

Here are a couple of videos to refresh SCPR readers on the actual proceedings wherein the commissioners prepared to and actually removed Zeigler.



As it turns out, the then Stark County Commissioners Todd Bosley, Pete Ferguson (he remains a commissioner) and Steve Meeks were legally wrong (so says the Ohio Supreme Court)  in removing Stark County Treasurer Gary D. Zeigler from office pursuant to the Chapter 300 statutory provisions.

Of course, the commissioners were relying on Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero's legal advice in proceeding under ORC 321.37 and 321.28.

The high court was saying in effect via the language "is unconstitutional on its face," that Prosecutor Ferrero miscalculated in allowing the commissioners to proceed under 321.37 and 38.

The SCPR would go one step further and say that the Ohio General Assembly messed up in not fixing this obviously unconstitutional law years ago.

Notice the dates that the Legislature last dealt with these code sections:

1985 and 1953.  Hmm?

The Ohio Revised Code is sorely in need of revision.  Not only on constitutionally "on the face of it" problematical provisions like 321.37/38, but also across the board to update/remove out-of-date provisions like Stark County Court of Common Pleas Court Judge Taryn Heath (head of the Citizen Review Taskforce on unfunded mandates) brought forward (22 of them - just scratching the surface) back in March at a work session of the Stark County commissioners.

So why don't state Reps Kirk Schuring, Christina Hagan, Stephen Slesnick and state Sen Scott Oelslager get moving on setting up a continuing legislative taskforce to comb through the ORC and cure the defects and the out-of-dateness?

Yesterday, the SCPR talked with former Commissioner Bosley about the reasons the commissioners proceeded under ORC 321.37/38.  Interesting.  He laid much of the blame at the feet of local attorney and civic activist Craig T. Conley.

Bosley said that Conley was on the telephone with him for seeming hours without end pushing, pressing and cajoling him and his fellows to move forward on 321.37/38 and even asked for commissioners to appoint him the lead attorney on the matter.

The Report does not buy the Bosley argument. 

Yes, Conley did push.  But as The Report remembers.  It appeared that Ferrero was never going to get moving. 

Neither Bosley nor Ferguson recalls Ferrero bringing up the availability of using ORC Sections 3.07 and 3.08, to wit:

A major problem with the ORC 3.08/07 approach is that do so would require the collecting 20,912 valid Stark County voter signatures.  Not impossible, by any stretch.  But nonetheless "real work!"

Proceeding that way certainly would have cured the ORC 321.38 (an administrative process that the Supreme Court says does not qualify to be quasi judicial/administrative) "due process of law" problem.

And, had the people of Stark County prevailed before either a judge or jury, the county would not be facing "back wages, front wages and wrongful termination" damages that Zeigler's attorneys say they are looking at going after.  (Supreme Court rules that Zeigler should get his job back, Kelli Young and Shane Hoover, The Repository, 06/23/2001).

One can only imagine the Stark County public's reaction should Zeigler collect hundreds of thousands of dollars if not in the seven figures ($1,000,000 or more)!!!

PETE FERGUSON HIT WITH STATE OF OHIO PERSONAL INCOME TAX JUNDMENT LIEN OF $13,164.31 SOME 36 DAYS AFTER BEING ELECTED COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Follow the unclosed circle and check marks added by the SCPR to a judgment lien filed by the State of Ohio against Pete Ferguson.

Note that the lien was filed on December 11, 2008. Ferguson was elected Stark County commissioner November 4, 2008. Nothing was said by Ferguson during the campaign about owing Ohio taxes.

Now do you think he knew in the run up to the election that he owed Ohio $13,164.31 in personal income taxes and that Ohio would be filing a lien against any property he owns which is located in Stark County?

Are voters entitled to know about material like this concerning a candidate for public office?

Do you think that maybe just maybe so folks who voted for Ferguson might have made a different choice had they known about the tax arrears?

Remember that the SCPR has already written a blog revealing that Ferguson is the subject of lawsuit in foreclosure by National City Bank (NCB) saying that Ferguson made a loan with the bank on May 1, 2007 alleges he is now in default on to the tune of some $458,000.00 plus.

In the NCB situation, it is less clear whether or not it is likely he knew (during the period he was campaigning) the lawsuit was coming post election. The SCPR believes that likely he did know and made a decision not to inform the voters.

The SCPR is of the opinion that his handling of personal finances is directly relevant to whether or not voters should have entrusted Ferguson to be part of the three person decision making processes in county budget formulation and appropriations to the tune of some $55 million annually.

Of course, we now know and only could have known as of April 3, 2009 and the foreclosure lawsuit (5 months after the election) that Ferguson has been having difficulties coping with his personal finances.

The question is: when did Ferguson first know between May 1, 2007 and November 4, 2009 that he was going to or likely to end up as a defendant in a foreclosure action.

Also, when did Ferguson first know in the context of this campaign for commissioner that the Ohio Department of Taxation would be filing a tax lien to recover $13,364.31 in personal income taxes? Hmm? Filed December 11, 2008. Does Ferguson mean to suggest to us that he was surprised when Ohio filed the lien on the 11th. The SCPR believes that the is awfully hard to swallow for most Stark Countians.

On the tax lien question, the SCPR asked Ferguson how much he owed Ohio on taxes. He pleaded ignorance only saying that he was in the process of paying the taxes.

The SCPR (which did not have a copy of the lien at the time) asked Ferguson on Wednesday how much money was the lien filed for. Again, he said he could not remember.

Another interesting thing about Ferguson's response to the SCPR's inquiry is that he refused to provide any background information as to extenuating circumstances (e.g. health care issues, etc) as an explanation for his financial difficulties.

To the SCPR, Ferguson is not credible on "not remembering" how much a lien filed only about 8 months ago was for in terms of dollars. It is equally unbelievable that he does not know how much remains to be paid on the back Ohio taxes.

Yours truly certainly would have such information fresh in mind as would most readers of this blog, if similarly situated.

According our common human experience, Commissioner Ferguson simply is not believable on his claimed ignorance on the tax lien questions posed by yours truly.

Apparently, he thinks that we Stark Countians were "born yesterday," and he can spin matters any way he wishes and the account be accepted as believable.

Think again, Commissioner Ferguson!

One other point.

As politicians are wont to do, Ferguson, playing the role of "the magnanimous one," promised to give a part of his commissioner salary - if elected - to charity.

And he may or may have actually done so. However, the SCPR is skeptical enough of this guy to want documentation and will not assume he has kept his promise.

What are the chances he will provide documentation?

If he acts like he has on e-mails (not answering an e-mail sent 3/6/09) asking specific questions and your truly's telephone conversation with him Wednesday about his financial troubles (highly unresponsive and incredible), the chances of him providing documentation on charitable giving are between "Slim and None" and "Slim" just left town.

Obviously, he doesn't understand as a public official he is accountable to his Stark County constituents. One has to wonder if he is getting counsel and advice from Canton's Mayor Healy. Because Ferguson's modus operandi is very Healy-esque.

At the end of the day the SCPR feels that Ferguson may well have run for commissioner to generate income to deal with his financial problems. And, for yours truly, this is not acceptable.

Ferguson has not come into office demonstrating a lot of initiative in coming up with ways and means to solve Stark County's many problems.

Stark County can ill afford to have Pete Ferguson as a Stark County official!

DISCUSSION: STARK COUNTY ANTI-SALES TAX PEOPLE OUT IN FORCE AT CANTON TEA PARTY EVENT

UPDATE: 04/16/2009 at 11:10 PM. A source (no full name or return e-mail address given) who claims to be close to Jason Wise, the person who organized Tax Day, Tea Day - Canton, Ohio, tells The Report that Wise did not personally pay the bill referenced below that somehow ended up at the Stark County commissioners' office though, according to the source, the Stark County commissioners' office address was not on the invoice.

ORIGINAL POST

Stark County Republican operative Jason Wise was in his glory yesterday as he viewed the thousand or so folks who showed up for the Wise-organized Canton, Ohio Tea Party.

A funny and perhaps ironic twist to this event as told to the STARK COUNTY POLITICAL REPORT (The Report/SCPR) by a source, is that an invoice for an event expenditure directed to Jason Wise showed up at the Stark County commissioners' office. The Report's source said the bill was for nearly $800.

Hum? Found its way to the Stark County commissioners' office? Could it be that Wise is telling folks that he plans on running for commissioner next year (against Commissioner Bosley) and he was misunderstood as currently being a commissioner?

Wise did take command of the microphone for a time (see video below) and asked the crowd to find one of the "green-shirted" Stark County Right to Vote Committee members to sign up to put the 1/2% sales/use tax (passed in December, 2008 by county commissioners for funding to fix 9-1-1 countywide and for additional general revenue fund monies) on the ballot for repeal in November of this year.

The Report continues to believe Canton Tea Party was opportunely adadapted by the organized Stark County Republican Party as a preparatory prelude to taking Bosley on in the 2010 general election. Although the WHLO provided emcee insisted that this was a non--partisan effort focusing on state and national tax issues, it seemed to The Report that the Stark County sales tax issue got major play at the party.

The "Green Shirts" were all over Canton's Central Plaza trying to coax attendees to sign up on the sales/use tax repeal petition.

The Report is not sure whether Bosley's opponent will be Wise or fellow Republican Travis Secrest. Secrest spoke with yours truly and did definitely commit himself as running for commissioner. However, he is still determining whether his run will be against Bosley in 2010 or Ferguson or Harmon in 2012.

Secrest lost to Harmon by a substantial margin in 2008.